Can Mark Udall Save Christmas?

It’s becoming quite clear that some credit card companies will do just about anything they can to keep consumers in debt, including jacking up interest rates for customers who play by the rules.

Which is what happened to Ginny Teel, the owner of 10 til 2, a small business that depends on a Wells Fargo credit line at an 11 percent interest rate, according to 9News.

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Well, that was until the massive banking corporation threw a wrench into Teel’s tight budget earlier this month by announcing it will jack up her rate to 22 percent. She’ll have less than one month to prepare.

“It affects me personally and my business,” she says, reading Wells Fargo’s letter, which noted “these changes are not a reflection of how you managed your account with us or your credit score.”

Cases like Teel’s are all too common, spreading just in time for the holidays—the months before the Credit Card Act, which would prevent such actions, goes into effect. That’s why Senator Mark Udall (pictured), a Colorado Democrat, has joined fellow lawmakers in calling for a crackdown.

The House Financial Services Committee passed a measure yesterday that aims to put the act into law by December 1 rather than February 1, as initially planned, writes The Wall Street Journal, which points out the adamant opposition of the panel’s Republicans.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke isn’t a fan of moving the date either and this week warned Congress such action could hurt consumers as much as or more than help them because credit card companies will be crimped (via The Washington Times). But try telling that to Teel.